


Finally, spring

by WhiteRibbon



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative Perspective, Falling In Love, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Personal Growth, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:22:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24897631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteRibbon/pseuds/WhiteRibbon
Summary: ~Alternative perspective/world, in this version Monty never sexually assaulted Tyler nor did he beat Winston.~The story will focus on personal development, growing up and discovering love.
Relationships: Montgomery de la Cruz/Winston Williams
Comments: 21
Kudos: 81





	1. Spring

**MONTY POV -** _Prelude_

He couldn't stop thinking about the boy he met at the party, about how beautiful he was, how he made him feel. He tried to keep him away from his troubled thoughts, yet he couldn't. Like a prisoner stuck in his cell, his thoughts became his sentence, and one cannot escape the mind.

"Get out of there, you piece of trash!" his father was yelling outside his room.

How repulsive that old man was; suddenly he could smell the scent of alcohol wafting from those cracked teeth and he could see the malnourished, carved face of his father appear in front of his eyes. For the first time, Montgomery wasn't scared nor hurt by such a man, they say that time heals the pain and polishes the truth and he finally could see his father for what he was: a weak old man.

The banging on the door became less frequent, then finally silenced.

"Old bag of shit," he said, as he looked down at his father's collapsed body. This time, he kept looking at the man on the cold floor, at how old he was, and to his dismay, Montgomery could see his own reflection on his father's face. Little shivers went down his spine as the eerie feeling of his fate being sealed paved the way in his psyche; tonight, reality seemed crueler than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! first of all, pls forgive me for any mistake but english isn't my first language.  
> This is an alternative universe of the story, with changes starting from season 2 as I don't agree with many aspects of the story. This is a very short chapter that sets the tone for what's next. But I want to finish it and give my personal ending.  
> In this story Monty isn't a rapist high in aspd, I personally don’t believe someone who commits such a violent crime is capable of true love. Also, he never attacked Winston after they made out, I can’t romanticise abuse. (+my baby Winston deserves someone better than that 💜)
> 
> Also I'm a sucker for love and turning your life around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> updated chapter 2.  
> thank you for reading

The homecoming match was at the door, all the boys had that typical euphoria fuelled by an old rivalry and the need to prove that they were better than the others. Yet, Montgomery was tired, it had been this way since summer. Do you know the feeling of a thought slowly growing, reigning over your perception, not going away no matter how hard you try. Wanting to close your eyes in a deep sleep only to wake up dominated by the thought? Like a worm inside your brain the thought starts eating you. That’s what was happing to him, and he had no name for the invisible enemy.

Was he going crazy?

“hey, Monty! Are you ready for the match? We gonna smash those spoiled Hillcrest kids!” Diego snapped him back to the present.

“You can bet on it!”

Suddenly, everything had no meaning. No real purpose, not an ending, just a stream of events flashing before him and he was the outside spectator. As the breeze caressed his skin and the sound of careless teenagers roaming on the campus tickled his ear, spoiling the quietness of the evening, Montgomery could feel the gentle indifference of the world. Nothing, nothing mattered, and he didn't know why. Or did he. Throughout the whole meaningless life he had lived, a dark wind had been rising from somewhere deep inside him.

> _Is this how Hannah Baker felt?_

The question viciously made the way in his mind, caught him off guard, unprepared, like a small child being scolded at school.

Montgomery went to the locker room, the match would start in about an hour. Bryce arrived there first, as usual, so he wouldn’t meet the other boys.

“ _Glad to see you, really you are one of the best people left in this school man_ ”

Montgomery just forced a smile, knowing that it was a lie. A complete utter lie, was that supposed to make him feel good about himself? To stroke his ego? Noone wanted Bryce Walker at Hillcrest, nor was he wanted at Liberty High. The only friend he had left, or at least the only person loyal to Bryce, was Montgomery.

“ _Are you ok? You look…weird recently_ ”

“Why did you rape those girls?” 

“ _The hell, you never asked_ ”

" _I am asking now. Why?_ "

" _I don't know, shit happens_ _you understand._ " Bryce took a short pause " _Since when do you care?_ " he asked, with a little angry twitch visible on his face.

Since when did Montgomery care? He couldn't find an answer, but for a brief moment he felt repugnance towards Bryce. 

" _ **Montgomery de la Cruz!**_ " the coach waved his hand, the game was about to start.

His breath was getting heavy.

“ _just focus on the game!_ ” he kept repeating to himself.

The Hillcrest had a small advantage

“ _focus_ ”

Someone attacked him from behind, he fell abruptly on the ground.

“ _sorry buddy_ ” a little grin appeared on Bryce’s face

That irritating grin sent him over the edge, he would make him regret it. Montgomery marched with all his body towards Bryce.

“ _You crazy psycho!_ ”

“ _Monty chill dude! You’ll get expelled_ ” an indistinguishable voice said, it was a teammate.

Those words fell on deaf ears.

 _It is all his fault! Everything is going to shit because of him. His friendship with Justin and Scott ended because of him, he lost the respect of the team because of him, he lost everything he ever cared about, the only place where he belonged because of him. All because he followed Bryce Walker like a damn dog!_ – he could feel the rage take over his body as he gave Bryce a final blow on the chest.

" _Foul! Foul! Foul!_ " the referee warned him “ _One more time and you are out!_ ”

He stopped to catch a breath, and in that moment his attention is caught by the photographer at the end of the field, like a moth is drawn to a flame Montgomery is drawn to him.

_It is the guy he met last summer._

A mixed sense of joy, desperation and confusion pervaded his body.


	3. Chapter 3

The referee blew the final whistle, Liberty High had lost the game. The boys packed their things, no one was in the mood for parties, not after the girls marched in support of rape victims. That’s how Bryce violated them, during parties, when the girls were too drunk to defend themselves.

“ _You are a coward,_ ” Bryce told him before leaving

But he didn’t care much about Bryce, at least not today. Montgomery wanted to see the boy he met at that summer party, Winston. He was standing near his car, fiddling with his nervous fingers around the camera. Pretending not to see him.

Montgomery got closer. He hadn’t forgotten how he treated the guy in front of him, the insults spurned in front of everyone, how he threatened to beat him if he dared to speak to him again. He thought about Winston nearly every day during summer, and the more he tried not to, the more persistent it became. His heart clenched at the memory, at how cruel he was to him. He felt shame, a deep shame that is only felt when you hurt those you love.

- _Hey …_ -He tried to get close to him

Winston tried to greet him with a little nod of his head.

- _I am sorry about what happened last summer. I was drunk and…I fucked up_

- _it's fine...whatever_ \- Winston couldn't hide the nervousness in his voice, nor could he hide the pain in his eyes.

\- _Well_ \- he got a little closer- _You look like a good guy._

Montgomery said with such a soft tone in his voice that the other couldn’t ignore him. It was a silent, veiled declaration of something more, a plead for forgiveness.

Winston couldn’t resist him.

- _Well_ \- he said with little reluctance at first, slowly gaining confidence - _My parents are gone all weekend, you wanna hang out?_

Montgomery looked at him in disbelief. His heart started racing at the idea of what is next. Or was it all the fruit of his imagination?

Winston opened the car’s door

- _You wanna get in?_

- _Yeah_

Montgomery hated good people, at least he hated them up until now. Good people try to take what’s left of your soul, to tame it, to mold it into something, and what was left of his, he wanted to keep. Yet with Winston it was different. There was a subtle understanding between the two of them, as if they knew each other from a distant place, a different time and in that understanding lays trust. The belief that this guy, whose name he didn’t dare to say out loud, wouldn't hurt him. The belief that they were so different yet so similar.

They spent the night together. At first, it was scary, shameful, then slowly it became liberating. Montgomery wanted him, all of him, every little piece—all for himself. He never felt more alive than when he was with him, like a drunk man whose lips get intoxicated by the bottle in his hand, no matter what awaits him, he always wants more, he needs it, he craves it.

” _I'll ride you somewhere if you don't want an uber_ "

They were lying in bed, catching their breath

” _you wanna kick me out?_ ”

" _no, I just figured you'd wanna go_ ” Winston reassured him

“ _what if I want to stay and do that again,_ " he said with a cheeky smile, the same you do when you are caught doing something prohibited.

Winston sweetly smiled at those words

“ _But I am not gay_ " Montgomery looked at him, a little confused and scared

“ _ok....cool. You can be whatever you want to be_ " he soothingly said, as his eyes teared up a little, just enough to make them shinier than before.

Montgomery didn’t have an answer to that. In those months something had changed in him, some may say it’s called growing up, but it was more than that. It all started with a single act of defiance at that summer party when they kissed for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly hope you liked this chapter!! <3  
> and I hope I was able to recreate the chemistry between these two.
> 
> feel free to add any feedback and thank you for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Winston POV**

_Love is not a hot-house flower,_ _but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but, flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always wild!_

**_John Galsworthy_ **

_The following morning_

Winston was a bit tired, Montgomery clearly loved mornings more than he did. He had woken up before sunrise, taken a shower and prepared a cup of coffee.

" So, where do you want to go today? " he asked Montgomery

"I don't know, maybe we can stay inside and, you know, talk a little more"

They had many things to tell each other, little things even. He didn’t hide the joy he felt at hearing those words. He believed that in the morning everything would disappear, that his lover would regret having spent the night with him like a spell ends its curse at midnight.

Montgomery is more beautiful in the morning- _he thought_ -his hair wasn't styled in that upwards manner, the one that boys use to appear more attractive to the opposite sex. They gracefully flowed on his face, darker than before, complementing his features and showcasing the chiseled jawline. However, Montgomery wasn’t the type of guy he would usually fall head over heels for, he preferred artists, soft-spoken guys, physically lean, soulful eyes, but to his surprise, he had never been more attracted to someone like he was to him. He didn’t have an explanation as to why or how he simply felt as if they always knew each other. After the summer party, Winston tried to forget about him, he tried meeting new guys but it was all to no avail.No matter how much he liked them, he always liked Montgomery more and if he could choose, he would always choose him. Winston even tried to rationalize his feelings, to put them down on paper so as to remind himself of all the reasons why he should forget about him, but everything turned into dust when they saw each other again at the game. He was his sweetest downfall.

Winston wanted to walk him through his favorite place of the house, the curated floral garden, where he would spend most of his time when he needed a quiet place or when he needed inspiration for his photography.

"my father built it, he is a botanist"

"You want to be a botanist too?” Montgomery quickly asked as he was mesmerized by the beautiful colours around him

"No, I'm not that academically gifted"

"You seem smart to me" he tried to encourage him

"well, it's still pretty hard to get into Princeton. What about you? Do you have any plans after high school?"

"not yet. I actually never seriously thought about it"

Winston wasn’t surprised to hear that

" Wait, you think I'm some dumb, aggressive, mean, egotistical, rude, jock? "

the other shrugged his shoulders 

"Well it could be worse, I could bake weed cookies" they burst laughing at the bizarre thought

"weed cookies?" Winston could barely contain the laugh

"Yeah, they are good. A friend of mine prepares them. If you don't get into Princeton we could sell weed cookies "

"do I look like that type of guy?" he jokingly said

Montgomery quickly looked at him from head to toe, at his white polished loafers, branded beige cardigan, navy cropped trousers, and the fancy blue wristwatch

"Sometimes it’s the ones you least expect it from"

Winston couldn't stop laughing, thankfully there was no one at home. He could hear all the "oh!" and "ah!" of his shocked parents at finding out that their golden child, fourth-generation Princeton legacy ended up growing weed. They would miss the day their son came out of the closet, and by coming out of the closet he means getting discovered in bed with the piano teacher. His mother screamed so much at the sight of her son caught in illicit activity that even the birds got scared, and his father, like the good man he was, fainted.

Montgomery didn't tell much about himself, he justified it by saying that there is little to know about him. But Winston wanted to know every little thing about him, sometimes it's the little things that reveal the most. The guy he invited home last night was different from the one he first met last summer. He was less impulsive, a bit gentler in his approach, yet still deeply passionate, and he needed to know what happened in those months. Whatever the cause, this subtle change only made his affection grow stronger.

He then decided to show him the library, it was his father's dearest place in the house, it had all their family book collection.

"Do you wanna play a game?" Montgomery asked, showing the glass chessboard "it's been so many years since the last time I moved a piece."

" fine, let's see what you can do" he said with a cheeky smile

The first time he played chess it was with his father. Winston disliked the game, his grandparents always said he was too much of a sensitive soul and chess was a violent game, to them it was a reflection of life. He, unlike his family members, was passionate about the arts and literature to the point he knew by heart every poem written by Lord Byron, in that sense maybe his grandparents were right. However, despite how little he liked the game, Winston had followed the old family tradition of learning how to play. He wasn't particularly gifted but he was good enough to follow chess games and understand them.

"Why did you stop playing?" he asked, Winston was surprised by his opponent’s game, it was very technical as if he had already studied the moves.

"well, my father thought chess isn't manly enough so I stopped playing"

Winston noticed the subtle pain in his voice, and he couldn't help but feel sadness too

"you are really good, where did you learn?"

" I took part in some competitions when I was a child"

Montgomery stopped him from moving the bishop, it would be mate soon. Winston was looking confused at the board, checking for any possible way out but he didn't see anything, he resigned the game a little bit disappointed, a lit bit amused by his rival’s skills. Montgomery quickly gave him a kiss on the lips to make up for the lost game and, judging by Winston's smile, it seems to have been the perfect consolation prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a feel good chapter, I hope you liked it.  
> Winston is indeed a romantic 💜


	5. Chapter 5

Winston had to visit the art gallery for a photoshoot, while Montgomery didn't exactly know what to do. Liberty High organised a campaign for Hannah Baker and all the victims of sexual assault, but on Sunday there was also a particular class for juniors. It was a guide about their future choices, only the nerds would go there every Sunday. He stayed in bed for some time and carefully considered the option, he was in the third year now and, needless to say, with those grades there was little hope for him to do anything other than become a mechanic like his father. The thing he hated the most was to end up being like his old alcoholic man, and that future didn't seem so distant now. 

He was walking inside the hall when two people approached him, it was Jessica and Clay

"Look who's here, Bryce's little dog," she sarcastically said.

He didn't like Jessica or Clay, though he’d grown to respect them

"We have questions," said Clay.

"It's Sunday, don't you guys take a chill pill?"

"Why don't you testify against Bryce? You were there when he raped Hannah."

He was there the night it happened, he and Alex were playing video games, but neither of them understood what was truly happening. At first, he didn't think much of it, then the thought occupied his mind like an uninvited guest. He could have helped her if only he was a little more observant that night. He knew Bryce had a cruel streak in him, or that he used girls as a past time, yet was it too far fetched to believe that his friend would force himself upon someone? Or was he willingly blind to it all? The guilt slowly built inside him. Montgomery was selfish by nature, and that night he had been selfish too. 

"Look at how many testified against him, and where is he now? Right, taking a bath in his pool." He tried to make his way past them.

In the last month, he’d started to feel sorry for Clay. He lost someone that he loved and never got the chance to be with her and yet, here he was, fighting for her. While the guy who raped her was walking free like nothing ever happened. Clay loved Hannah like he loved Winston and that's when he started to understand Clay's hatred towards Bryce.

Finally, he found the class where they would hold the meeting, he took a seat in the middle and started unpacking his bag. The few students in the room were giving him filthy eyes, some had their eyebrows raised, others forgot to close their mouth and were stuck in an unpleasant expression of disbelief. He felt like a guinea pig in a lab, carefully being observed at every move

_ah the nerds can be bullies too, intellectual bullies_

“So, we have a new participant “ Mrs Dolitle pointed at him

You may ask why Mrs Dolitle hated his guts, well it all started many years ago, to be precise in his last year of middle school when he decided to turn her classes into a living hell. However, Mrs. Dolitle was a kind woman, when they would call his father at school for his misconduct she was the only one who didn’t badmouth him. She knew how his father was and tried to help him, but back then he was too juvenile to appreciate the help.

“what brings you here mr de la Cruz?”

He nervously swallowed 

“I thought it would be cool to have an idea of – the others got a little closer so as to better hear what this particular guinea pig had to say

\- Well, what my college options are ” he stuttered a little

Mrs Dolitle left out a snarky sound, clearly she thought he was a lost cause.

She instructed the class to write down a positive quality each of them had. Nelly and Kim started playing the vicious game of Excessive Humbleness which meant they would deny any positive attribute the other wrote down while simultaneously complementing each other over and over again until the humblest would triumph.

The only people who wrote anything positive about him, which didn’t include the words “athletic” “loves sports” “tall”, up until now he didn’t know that being tall was a positive quality to have, were Niko and Becky. They were childhood friends, but they stopped hanging out in middle school when he joined sports and started acting out, they never spoke to each other again up until today and he never knew how much he missed them.

Montgomery da la Cruz: _kind_  
Said Becky

Montgomery de la Cruz: _smart guy_  
Said Niko

Those were the best things someone said about him in years. Childhood friends hold in their memory the best version of ourselves, the innocent one. Despite the initial reaction, he was happy to have joined the class and now started to appreciate the so-called “nerds”. They all were focused on the future and spoke of highschool as a rite of passage.

 _Interesting people_ he thought

He would often get trapped in the problems of his day to day life, forgetting that there is so much more out there. It’s not only baseball, his team, his shitty family, Bryce, everything is temporary. He felt so much relieved at hearing them talk about their future goals and the only thing they judged were his mediocre grades, for the rest he was just a troubled, shallow, not so smart jock.

When the class ended, Becky and Niko approached him

"if you want, we can meet sometimes and chat"

"Yeah, sure"

childhood friends hold a special place in his heart. Becky was his childhood sweetheart while Niko was his best friend, he would sleep over their house every time his parents had a fight. Until his mother left, then he stopped going. 

* * *

Bryce had sent him a message later that day, he wanted to meet him at his house. Despite how little he wanted to visit him he decided to go and see what he wanted this time

"what have you done to Tyler" he was angry 

"nothing" 

"nothing? You sent him death threats and promised to beat the shit out of him. Then said I gave you the orders! You understand that I risk jail and you only made the situation worse?"

"yeah, so what?" he nonchalantly said

"clearly your father doesn't beat you enough! damn idiot"

"don't play the role of the repented with me"

"what?"

Bryce tried to convince the guys that he was remorseful about everything, that somehow he raped all those girls because he "felt lonely" and had lost his way. The only thing he had lost at this point was the plot of his own lies. What made Bryce and him friends was their selfish nature. Montgomery would bully innocent people so as to feel a sense of power over his life, something he never had at home, and even worse, he wanted people to experience the same misery he did so life would feel fair. Likewise, Bryce raped those girls for an adrenalin rush, to escape the everyday boredom he so much detested, to piss off those perfect parents of his. In the end, they both used the innocents to feel better about themselves. But, like it's well known, selfish people rarely remain friends for too long, especially when they step on each other's toes. That's why Bryce preferred Justin, because Justin saw the nice side he portrayed to people, and because Justin was fundamentally good.

"We both know why you raped those girls, you did it because you were bored"

"you are fucking crazy"

"You needed something exciting, you are at Liberty High because you are the richest kid here. You helped Justin because you needed someone loyal to you, someone dependant on you"

the other's expression quickly changed, if eyes could kill Montgomery would be dead now 

"About Justin, do you keep giving him money so he can shoot heroin up his veins?"

"shut up"

"you see Bryce, if I go down you go down with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it! I couldn't spend too much time reviewing the chapter due to little free time.


	6. Chapter 6

> _“A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. ” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupery_

\------

They were kissing on the playground, he tried to explain to Winston why they couldn't be careless, but Winston always knew how to be so persuasive.  
"People will look"  
Montgomery grabbed his hands, pulling them away from his face

"Let them" he went in for another kiss.

He was gentle yet fierce, like the time when he first approached him. Montgomery loved this hidden side of his, how he looked so charming, composed, frail when deep down his lover was intense and passionate. No, Montgomery couldn't resist him, no matter how much he tried, he would always succumb to Winston.  
After the weekend Winston and Monty started spending a lot of time in each other's company. After school finished and he ended the training session with the team, he would be headed towards Winston's house. They would study together in the library and after that make out, until it became too late and Monty had to leave, well if he wanted to leave.

His friends started to notice a change in him but they couldn't pin down what it was. He didn't get involved in fights anymore, started following classes, stopped mentioning Bryce, and above of all, he stopped having bruises all over his face.

_Montgomery simply stopped caring._

Many strange things were happening around him, for start, Justin was back to shooting drugs and numbing himself to the pain around him. He knew Justin since elementary school, the only thing they had in common was their abusive parents, apart from that they were like day and night. Justin had too much of a sensitive nature yet life couldn't tarnish his soul. At some point he was jealous of him, how can someone remain good after what he went through? He wanted to believe that Justin was deceitful that there was a side of him that no one knew, but he was proven wrong. Justin Foley was a good person, he was lovable and, most of all, he loved people.  
But Montgomery didn’t love anyone before Winston, he could like some people, but love as a feeling was a foreign concept to him. As far as he can remember he never loved his father, nor did he care about his sister, Estela, or his stepmother. His real mother died giving birth to him, his father remarried and when he started to drink too much Eleanor took Estela with her and left while he remained with his father. They would say that he was a problematic child, too impulsive, too erratic, that he had a temper, in a sick way they would justify his father, cause at the end of the day, he was trying to discipline him.  
He never loved them, maybe if he did, he would end up like Justin, trying to numb the pain away. It was easier for him to accept his condition when it wasn't caused by someone he loved, in this way love isn’t tarnished but remains a concept of pure imagination, an ideal to believe in. In many cases love isn’t enough, and if love cannot save someone then what else is there left? He, unlike Justin, developed a twisted way of self-preservation, by becoming selfish Montgomery created the love he never had. No one would ever love him more than he loved himself, no one was there when his father would beat him up, or when he slept under a bridge, or when he would cry alone in his room hoping for his father to go away, in those moments there was only him. In that loneliness, he shut down from the world.

Montgomery liked some people but to feel a connection with another person, to be sad because they were sad, to feel happy because they were happy or simply because they were with him, that happened only with Winston. And if that is called love, then love was truly beautiful.

\------ **Winston’s house** \----------

They were taking a break, Winston took a cup of tea, he was nervous about something

  
"Are you okay?" Montgomery asked him

Winston looked at him nervously  
"I got expelled," he said with his head down in shame “I, well, I paid someone to take my SAT and he got caught" he took a short pause before continuing  
"two hundred years of pure Princeton breeding and look at what happened" he bitterly laughed

"It's just stupid stuff that happens" Montgomery tried to uplift him  
"next time you'll ace the test!" he had a thrilling look in his eyes, so much that even Winston felt encouraged  
"And you, did you join the chess club?" Winston tried to change the conversation

"Yeah, I'll start competitive chess again" but Montgomery didn’t give up  
"I've got two friends that can help you with your grades"

"I need a miracle at this point, it doesn’t matter.."  
"Well they have a 5.0 GPA, I guess they could give some advice you know "  
"Do you even hang out with people like that?" Winston was surprised  
"They’re childhood friends"

  
He started hanging out with them more frequently during breaks.  
Becky and Nicko offered to give him their notes for chemistry and biology, maybe this was the perfect opportunity for him to spend time with them too. He didn’t need to hide his relationship with Winston from them, they already knew he liked guys. When he would go to their house, Becky and he would fawn over the same actor, while Niko would stand there like a third wheel on a date. They never told anyone about him, they kept it a secret.

  
"They can join us, what do you think?"  
“Okay, cool ” he kept drinking his tea, _who were these people?_ Whatever the case, he was eager to meet them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter.  
> <3


	7. Chapter 7

**WINSTON'S POV**

Winston was born privileged, as many would say in cases like his. However, in his little beau monde, he always felt like a misfit. He never liked the opulent people around him or even the frivolous relationships they had. In the end, it was all based on reputation, on how much value you have in the eyes of high society. Likewise, following the old tradition of keeping the caste closed, his parents married not because of love but because they needed someone to complement their achievements, like a beautiful accessory in a living room. To exacerbate his lonely feelings, Winston had few friends, if not any. In his little circle everything was based on how much you could put on the table. They liked the fact he came from a prestigious family and so they would get close to him to appear classier, and he, in return, would use them to fill in his free time. Winston hated everything about that life, well hatred may be a strong word, he enjoyed the comforts it offered but there was nothing else left for him. He tried to defy his family by falling short in what they considered the most venerated part of life, academic success. Nothing caused them more pain or shame than an underachieving son, but the angrier they became, the happier Winston was.

His expulsion from Hillcrest was the last straw, his parents cut him out of the family's trust fund and blocked his bank account.

"Wait until your father hears about this!" his mother was angrier than ever. He had done many bad things in the past, but nothing had pissed her off more.

They weren't mad or even concerned when he got caught smoking drugs in middle school or when he had a fling with his teacher, or when he started cutting himself to get rid of the shame he felt around his romantic preferences. However, getting mediocre results in school was downright unforgivable, deplorable even, a stain on their legacy. His father was so ashamed of him that he stopped bringing him to family brunches, not that Winston ever complained, it consisted of a bunch of uptight middle-aged people and their holier-than-thou children, though, he would miss the good wine offered at those events and the handsome waiters.

Winston was officially the black ship of the family.

"Are you sure about Liberty High?" his mother didn't particularly fancy the place "you can choose another private school"

"I got some friends there, I'd like to know them better"

At first, he was unwilling but then he agreed to keep his relationship with Monty a secret. Montgomery didn't reveal much about his life, or what happened at Liberty high. He told him about his brittle relationship with his father and how difficult it would be for him to be open about his sexuality. He confessed to having done unpleasant things in the past, yet his relationship with Bryce Walker was a particular poignant discussion. From what he had gathered they were good friends, at some point even brothers, but now they barely spoke to each other.

"So, where are these friends of yours?"  
Monty and Winston were waiting to meet them at the campus

Becky reminded him so much of the typical girls at his family's brunches. She was a good-looking girl dressed in a white suit with black piercing eyes and curly brown hair. Everything about her, from head to toe, was curated to near perfection. If his parents ever had a daughter, Becky would be their favorite child.

"You must be Winston" she approached him for a handshake " I've heard nice things about you," she said while quickly giving a side-eye to Monty

"I'm afraid he is biased" Winston greeted her

Nicko appeared to be more easy-going, he was of average height, physically lean with white-blonde hair, what stood out the most about him were his deep-set grey eyes and his blankly courteous smile. He was dressed casually, with a black shirt and blue jeans, but still stylish looking.

Winston couldn't help but notice how Monty's mannerisms changed when he was around them. Montgomery was calmer, more composed and even serious looking, he had a very relaxed and confident demeanor, who is this person? He is different from the Monty he knew, or at least the one he thought he knew.

They strolled around the campus, then visited the building and different classes. It was very quiet, melancholic even, the bluish-grey on the walls wasn't the most aesthetically uplifting choice. He couldn't help but notice the posters on the walls

**Justice for Hannah Baker**

**Bryce Walker is a rapist**

"Don't worry, it's fine" Montgomery noticed how nervous he became and tried to reassure him with a gentle smile, but it didn't work. He had a strange feeling that bad things were going to happen, he didn't know when or how, but there was something in that building that deeply unsettled him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked the chapter.  
> thank you for reading


	8. Chapter 8

**WINSTON'S POV**

His biology class was about to start and Winston tried his best to navigate the hall but every room looked the same.

"I'm sorry" he bumped into someone

"Don't worry- a blonde, pale, skinny guy with bright blue eyes turned to greet him - you must be new here"

Winston nodded in agreement, a little bit disoriented and confused

"Alex Standall"

"I'm Winston Williams" finally he met someone new, he tried to ask for some direction but people seemed too busy to help

"So, what brings you to this shitty place?"

"Oh god I hope it's not that bad"

"horrific it's a better word, " Alex said with such a straight face that Winston couldn't be sure whether it was a joke or a warning.

"Where are you headed to?"

"I’ve got a biology class with a certain Mr. Thorman"

"Well I guess we share a class then"

They were a bit late, as per usual in Winston's case.

"Mr. Standall is finally gracing us with his presence"

And judging by their teacher's reaction, Alex wasn't the punctual type either.

During recess, he stayed with Alex near the comfy Coffee Bar Grant, they joked a little about Mr. Thorman’s incomprehensible accent, about how ghastly the school was and the unfortunate events that made it truly unique in its own misery. Alex gave him the impression of a witty and easy-going, affable guy

"do you know anyone else here?"

"yeah, Becky Miller and Nicko Owen"

"oh god!" Alex rolled his eyes

"What?"

"Don't tell them you were late for a class, Mrs and Mr perfection may snub you to death"

Alex was probably right about that, it's not like Winston didn't like them but they were too neat for his preferences. Or at least, they weren't his typical carefree, nonchalant friends that he would usually hang out with.

Winston knew Monty's sister would be a freshman this year and he couldn't wait to meet her. He thought that maybe Monty would spend some time with her, or that he could spot them chatting on the hall but nothing of that sort happened. Even worse, Montgomery would sometimes ignore and walk past her as if she were a total stranger. Yet, he didn't have a problem hugging Becky and introducing her to his teammates, in a sense, he treated her more like a sibling than a friend.

"Isn't Estela your sister?"  
"half-sister" Monty was quick to correct him

Winston was too shy to ask Montgomery about his family life, but the other knew he could trust him and he, himself, wanted to open up to someone, to share some secrets. After all, it is only fair to speak freely with the one you love, it deepens their bond, cause some things only a lover must know.

"my mother was Spanish- he was reluctant at first- she came to California to work on an engineering project and, as you can see, she met my father and had me. She died shortly after giving birth due to some complications - he took a short pause, Monty had a pensive look on his face- "Only God knows why a well-educated woman would end up with a man like my father, I guess love is blind"

  
"well, you wouldn't be here," Winston said and in his eyes, one could easily see the love he felt for Monty.

  
"yeah, and she would be still alive" Montgomery quickly regretted those words, he didn't want to burden Winston with his problems or sadden him with his troublesome life but the damage was already done  
" I'm sorry"

  
"no, don't be. You can tell me anything you want" he had that beautiful smile that lightens up his entire face. Monty still couldn't believe that someone like Winston could ever love someone like him.

_Love is blind, isn't it?_

"My father remarried but his attachment to alcohol trumped the one he had for her. So, his new wife left him and took Estela with her" Montgomery didn't appear to hold any form of affection towards his family, he could barely tolerate them and at this point in his life, he couldn't even bother to pretend anymore.

**_Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.- L.T_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this short chapter.  
> Ch9 will take me some time but I promise that it will be deliciously devious😈
> 
> thank you for reading

**Author's Note:**

> hi, english isn't my first language so please forgive me for the mistakes. Nonetheless, I hope you'll enjoy the story


End file.
